Marianne's Response

Why isn’t my hydrangea bush blooming?

I have a hydrangea bush which is about 7 years old. Every year the leaves look very healthy on it, but it doesn’t produce flowers! 2 years ago I finally got 1 flower and last year it produced 2 flowers only. It does get a lot of sun and I tried shading it a little in the afternoon, last year. I fertilize it but maybe not enough. Can you recommend something I can do? Thank you!

Posted by Joan Farrenkopf on April 3, 2014

Marianne's Response

Have you been pruning this hydrangea? Most big leaf hydrangeas (grandiflora with the big balls of blooms) flower on two year old wood so pruning can snip off the buds. Also if it is in an area of cold winter winds the freezing temps can damage flower buds. No need to fertilize as too much nitrogen can produce lots of healthy leaves and no flowers. Don't prune, don't feed and see if it blooms next year. If not, use the shovel solution. Dig it out and move it to a more protected site or into the compost pile it must go. Life is too short to put up with disappointing plants. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti